Automatic vending apparatus



(No Model.)

0. L. GOPFIN. AUTOMATIC VENDING APPARATUS. No. 439,478. Patented Oct.28, 1890.

I fl Q y 1 X I ljmmlll in yenzar- V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. COFFIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC VENDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,478, dated. October28, 1890.

Application filed March 22, 1890. Serial No. 344,973. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. COFFIN, of Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and use ful Improvementin Automatic Vending Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in an improvement in automatic vending apparatus,hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation; and Fig. 2 is a section on line as at,Fig. 1.

A represents a portion of the box of the vending apparatus, and Brepresents a coinchute, one end of which connects with a slot throughthe box to permit the introduction of a coin into the chute. The chute Bis sufficiently inclined to cause a disk placed therein to roll alongdown the chute.

C and D represent, respectively, two chutes diverging from the chute B,the chute D leading to that part of the mechanism to which it is desiredto carry a proper coin for the purpose of enabling the apparatus to beoperated while the chutes C and B lead to a waste-receptacle.

G and F represent two magnets, which may be either electro-magnets, asshown in the drawings, being connected by the conductors I H with thepoles of a battery J, or they may be permanent magnets. These magnetsvary in power, the weaker magnet G being placed in close proximity tothe diverging chute O, and the stronger magnet F being placed inproximity to the chute D.

The difliculty experienced with automatic vending-machines is that adisk of the same size and weight, or approximately so, as the coin forwhich the machine is intended will operate the machine just as well asthe proper coin. My invention is intended to obviate this diificult-y inthe case of vending-machines intended for nickel coins, and itsoperation is as follows: If an iron disk be inserted into the coin-chuteB, it rolls down the chute until it comes within the field of force ofmagnet G, by which it is deflected, so that it leaves the chute B andfalls into the chute C, where it is conducted to a waste-receptacle. Ifa disk of diamagnetic metalsuch as brass or copperof the proper size isintroduced, it passes down the chute B unaffected by either of themagnets, and is thrown into a wastereceptacle. If a disk of nickel(which is a magnetic metal,but less so thaniron) be introduced intochute B, it will roll down said chute without being affected by themagnet G, which is not sufficiently powerful to attract nickel until itcomes within the field of force of the stronger magnet F, by which it isdeflected and passes down chute D to the operating mechanism of themachine.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

In combination with a coin-chute and two diverging chutes therein, twomagnets of different degrees of strength, substantially as shown anddescribed.

CHARLES L. COFFIN.

Witnesses:

CYRUS E. LoTHRoP, GERTEUDE H. ANDERSON.

